


Young Love

by ForcedRedacted



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:54:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22684288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForcedRedacted/pseuds/ForcedRedacted
Summary: A kid has a crush on one member of an establish couple (or trio) the object of the crush must deal with this on their own because their lover(s) are not going to cut this bit of theater short.
Relationships: Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Hythlodaeus/14th
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10
Collections: Valentine's Fic Exchange 2020





	Young Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chysgoda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chysgoda/gifts).



Hidden deep within one of the many tiered parks of Amaurot, two people sat on a bench. One had his arms folded, grey robes dusty from the road as they scowled under their red mask and the other clutching his stomach as he doubled over. It was a long moment before he straightened and reflexively lifted an arm to ward off the irritated shove he received when he glanced over and started to snicker once more.

"Stop _laughing_. 'Tis not -that- funny."

"Nay, I find it quite humorous." Hythlodaeus scooted to the edge of the bench, cautious and amused all at once as Emet-Selch continued to glare at him. "'Tis passing strange that anyone would leave such things for you, but I assure you I have played no part in this."

"If not you, then who?" The Architect refolded his arms, scowl deepening once more as he looked out over the lawn before them. "Eschaton is out tending to her own work. Unless she put in the time to do some preparation for her absence..."

"I know not, however they seem to mean you no harm." Lifting a hand to wave it idly, Hythlodaeus shifted closer on the bench so that he could lean against Emet-Selch and sigh, smothering a chuckle as Hades huffed and put an arm around him. "Thus far, you say the letters have simply proclaimed that your intelligence and methodology towards your work are astounding?"

"Essentially. However, reading between the lines _disturbs_ me. Some of these letters have been rewritten. Help me find the perpetrator?" 

"Alas, but I have my own duties-"

"Rafail, your _duties_ include keeping harassment to a minimum. This is disrupting my ability to work." Pinching his lover, Emet-Selch pursed his lips and then grumbled under his breath as Hythlodaeus simply continued on as if he hadn't said anything.

"-such as continuing to monitor the cross-faction integration of some of Eschaton's Enforcers with our own working staff. Besides, they are harmless letters are they not? Why not simply accept the praise?" Wiggling away, the white-masked man turned to properly face him and smile slightly.

* * *

Emet-Selch wore the guise of his chief of staff with the ease born of countless hours of practice. It wasn't entirely uncommon for them to swap roles for the day, after all. They found that it kept them both in the loop better and gave whomever had last worn the red mask a bit of a break. The only ones that had as of yet managed to consistently determine when one had swapped for the other were his Enforcers and Eschaton. Presumably, her Enforcers also could tell but he had yet to put that theory to the test. He wanted to avoid having anyone walk up to him and then _sniff_ him, after all. 

As such, when he took the elevator down to the ground floor and meandered through the halls towards the front desk, few people so much as gave his white mask a second glance. The plain grey robes rustled about him as he idly waved at the receptionist and then started to empty the tray that contained the mail for the day. There, staring up at him, was a trio of pink envelopes. Each one was sealed and tied with a white ribbon, which set one of his eyes to twitching as he sighed and reached to collect them. Turning to the figure seated behind the main desk, the disguised Architect waved the letters at the receptionist and leaned casually on the desk.

"Ekanas, did you happen to see if these came in with the regular runner today?"

"Oh, no sir. They were animated elsewhere and flew themselves here." The receptionist straightened slightly before hunching their shoulders once more when they caught the withering glare that was being leveled at them. A quick mental calculation brought them to the conclusion that this was not, in fact, Hythlodaeus in front of them and with a quaver in their voice they continued. "I... I tried to get them to go away, but they kept coming back Sir."

"Hmm. Very well. Let us keep this between us, shall we?"

"Yes Sir." They nodded hurriedly, and sank down into their seat as the disguised Architect turned and swept out of the building. It didn't take long for him to return to the apartment, somewhat bitter that he hadn't managed to catch sight of anyone suspicious looking.

"I narrowed it down. They arrive between eight and eight thirty in the morning. I also confirmed what the receptionist told you, as well as whether or not they are flammable. 'Tis not a difficult substance to recreate that coats them." Hades opened one of the letters, quirking a brow as Hythlodaeus groaned from the couch nearby. It had been two days since the Architect had gone to covertly collect the mail, and in the intervening hours had found himself practically dive-bombed by a flock of them when he made the mistake of taking a nap in one of the parks. 

A shower of chocolates had rained down, startling him awake and only incredible self-control had managed to keep him from losing his composure. It had given him the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the aether utilized in their transportation. It was a colour he had promptly committed to memory. 

"If they fly in from this direction-"

"Hades, is such an endeavor truly worth such effort?"

"You have proven _singularly_ unwilling to assist me in this, Rafail. Should you suddenly wish to be part of this and work with me once more as a team, then by all means voice your opinions." Emet-Selch waved a hand towards the prone Amaurotine as he continued to study the letter. "Until then, I will do this on my -own-. I have a plan in motion as we speak."

* * *

It would have simply taken too long to trace the path the letters took, catching it snippet at a time, so instead he decided to open the doors of his bureau and invite the public in to look upon one of his latest concepts. He had opened the floor for criticism and opinions, and as he watched the crowd he caught sight of a familiar strain of aether. It was the same as what had animated the letters.

There, near the back. Hiding. Emet-Selch wasted no time, abandoning the conversation Mitron had struck up with him and swept through the crowd only to come up short when he caught sight of the offending figure. 

They were small, barely two thirds his height. Young, he realized. Very young. Just graduated from the standardized schooling and fresh into the academy, if he had to hazard a guess. Dark hair peeked out around their mask, and he didn't need a mirror to see that it was close to the colour of his own. They were shocked and surprised that he was there, and just like that, all the anger bled out of him. 

A hand settled on his shoulder, and the Architect shifted enough that he could glance at his Second as Hythlodaeus smiled sheepishly at him. He had known who it was, he realized. The matter had already been investigated, the perpetrator located and deemed non threatening. 

Sighing slightly, Emet-Selch realized everyone around him was either holding their breath or murmuring in confusion about how he had charged through the crowd and suddenly stopped. The youth's warden had settled behind them, and inclined their head in a deferential show of greeting. 

"Most Honourable Emet-Selch." 

"Warden. Is this one of your more recent charges?"

"She is, although as of a few months ago she was released from my care to fend for herself." The Warden smiled as best they could while their aether curled uncomfortably in on itself. "She, ahh..."

"G-good afternoon, Sir..." The youth smiled shyly, head ducking down before snapping up as the Architect sighed and turned, gesturing for them to follow him. 

"Let us see if what they teach these days still holds up, shall we? Come along."

* * *

"I spoke with the Warden that was with her before they left. The girl knows she crossed a line into harassment, and was truly repentant." Hythlodaeus stretched out in the grass beside Hades, sighing contently as the warmth of the sun started to seep through the dark robes he wore. "You handled that surprisingly well, although the girl would have given up on her crush and moved on to more constructive things on her own if you had but given her enough time."

"You _knew_."

"Of course I knew. Ensuring your safety is but one of my duties." A slight shrug had Rafail sighing before he closed his eyes. "She was harmless, however. Most at such a young age are highly impressionable." 

"Highly impressionable indeed." Hades felt his lips curl into a smirk, and the lilting change to his tone caught Hythlodaeus off guard as he began to drawl. "'Tis equally baffling and amusing to see how someone might be impacted by something you have worked on. While she had never met me before, she held me in incredibly high esteem. I believe I need not worry about her in the future, however. While I managed to avoid crushing her dreams of one day working in the Bureau of the Architect, I do believe her priorities have adjusted accordingly. Know you the root of this change?"

Rafail frowned, blinking open his eyes as he propped himself up on his elbows. "What do you mea-?"

Emet-Selch rolled in the grass, failing to stifle a smirk as doing so got him free of the chocolates that rained down about his lover.


End file.
